Chelsea are the “favourites” to land Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, according to talkSPORT journalist Alex Crook.

Manchester United, along with Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, are expected to be the main competition for the Nigerian international’s services but Crook says that, due to the cost of the transfer, the Blues are the likeliest to sign him:

“Vlahovic would be cheaper than the other two, but Chelsea are the favourites for Osimhen because of the price.”

Osimhen’s asking price is believed to be €150m (£129m), which is expected to put off plenty of potential suitors. Considering that Chelsea need to sell before they buy this summer, it is somewhat surprising to hear Crook say that the London club would be prepared to pay such a high amount.

With Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic seemingly on their way out of Stamford Bridge, though, a sizeable portion of Osimhen’s transfer fee could be raised from the sale of the two players. Reports suggest that the Blues want between £70m and £85m for Mount, and around £40m for Kovacic.

There are cheaper alternatives to Osimhen

As Crook mentions, Juventus’s Dusan Vlahovic is another potential candidate, with his club expected to demand around €80m (£69m) this summer.

There has also been some speculation that Vlahovic’s international teammate, Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, could be considered as a target. For the time being, though, it seems as if Osimhen is the number one option.